Sunday, April 9, 2017

Celebrity Rock: Being Yourself (1981)

In 1980, producer Robert Evans managed to avoid jail time on a drug conviction when a judge instead ordered him to use his money & influence to create an anti-drug message for young people.

The end result was a 1-shot NBC special, Get High On Yourself, which aired in September 1981. The highlight of the show was a group musical performance as athletes (Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving) and celebrities (Bob Hope, Cathy Lee Crosby, Mark Hamill, Paul Newman, Happy Days' Henry Winkler & Scott Baio, Fantasy Island's Herve Villechaize, etc.) joined together with some kids to spread the message of "Being Yourself":

Because this aired on a Saturday night, I didn't see the show itself, and missed this the first time. Amazingly, I don't think this played on MTV, despite the presence of rock icon Ted Nugent.